Why did you give such a vague question in the first place rather than that?Anyway who says relationships necesairly have an intended nature? They mean whatever you like. For me the nature of a relationship is for 2 people to move side by side as equals, in a synergistic fashion, towards the same goal/s. Or something to that effect. Of course specifics can change, for example whether or not there is romantic attraction, or whether they are family or not, but those are trivial differences. One person maybe be slightly farther ahead but in a relationship they hold up a bit and pull the other forward. That is my idea of the nature of a relationship. But what do I know I'm 17.

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Member of DaJoGen MMA school under Dave Hagen and Team Chaos fight team under Denver Mangiyatan and Chris Toquero, ran out of Zanshin Martial Arts in Salem Oregon: http://www.zanshinarts.org/Home.aspx,

I will not even attempt to answer that; greater minds, prophets, yoga gurus, charlatans and even martial arts masters have been giving answers since time immemorial and will, I believe, continue to do so so long as someone is listening.

But I will say something about that "I'll rather be happy than right"

Whether East or West, we all live in a culture of "Rightness", that is, being right about things as opposed to getting it wrong. When we are right, we get praised, being looked up to, chest-thumping pride in ourselves, emotional satisfaction, alpha status. It was and is, I admit however, important to be right; your college exams, your job, meals on the table for your family, depended on you getting things right.

So for the past half century or more I strived to be right in all things I did and when in a senior position, getting others to get it right in things they did; needless to say I was not always successful, but I somehow pulled through with major and minor hiccups here and there and, most importantly, avoided being subject to structured restraint (ehhh...avoided jail, that is)

And so I now arrive at or near the 60th year milestone and anyone who has been here will, on looking back the long road just travelled, ask themselves, not what life is about, because that question is just too difficult, often embarrassing and perhaps even meaningless, given that you've spent the last 60 years living it without giving it much thought, but the easier one of what is really important. I've had enough of being or wanting to be right, which meant also showing that others were wrong, which was rather nebulous because even if others were wrong did not necessarily meant that I was right, though I often liked to think so, but have since abandoned it.

So I asked myself, what is so important about being right anyway? Then it dawned on me that it is important because we were brainwashed since the age of two and continues till the day we die, the life or death importance of being right, at all times, in all places and towards every other human being we meet in real or virtual life, whether it is truly important or not. With due respect to the Buddha, I think this is a major cause of human suffering.

I have finally settled on being happy as being more important, with the qualification that it should not be at the expense of the suffering of others. I understand that this may not be for everybody, as when you are still struggling to survive in the swim of life, getting your swimming strokes right is all important if you want to reach the safety of the distant shore.

But, if you can manage it, every now and then, just be happy and let others be as right as they want.

Quote:Neither, exactly. More like "What is the intended nature of our relationships?"

HiMight depend on the term relationships.I think one of the main driving forces of life is to further the specia with everything attached to that proccess.

Seems like(in this day and age) in a hidden way everything is all aimed at that goal.

I suppose in a way when I reach 60 I might look back and think how things might have been different.But then there is this strange thing called fate.So maybe I wontI suppose fate can be another mind blowing subject.

Matt, If you are working from a scientific/ evolutionary perspective relating and relationship's meaning would be found in wheither or not it supported the continued wellbeing/ life of the individual or group. In chimp societies you will find all sorts of behavior and different types of relationships. Being an alpha has it's advantages but it also has it dangers too. Within a community animals use different strategies i.e. sharing food, play, and grooming to create and solidify bonds. So even in Chimp communities it is not just about winning/losing but about the benefit available to all and the different way we meet needs. Mutual benefit may be part of the answer to your question about relating, but that is a different question than your first question.

taking emotions and ego out of the answer, I come up with life is about contributing. aquiring and passing on.

whether it be genes, parenting, companionship, morals, time, knowledge or Art ...anything which is 'yours' is contributed. The amount/quality/quantity/positive/negative of that contribution is irrelavent. it's the contribution itself that makes it life.

everything in nature contributes by passing on all or part of what 'it' has aquired.